The Wondrous Scripture of the Mind Seal of the Exalted Jade Emperor, with Commentary

The Wondrous Scripture of the Mind Seal of the Exalted Jade Emperor

The superior medicine has three grades: spirit, qi, and essence. Indistinct and elusive, dark and obscure. Preserve nothingness and guard being, and in an instant it is accomplished. Turn the wind back and merge them, and in a hundred days the work becomes numinous. Silently pay court to the Supreme Emperor, and in one ji you ascend in flight. Those who know awaken easily; the benighted find it hard to practice. Tread upon heavenly light; with breathing, nurture clarity. Going out through the Mysterious and entering the Female, as if absent, as if present. Continuous and unbroken, firm the stem and deepen the root. Each person has essence; the essence unites with its spirit. The spirit unites with its qi; the qi unites with the true body. Without attaining the true, all are but forced names. Spirit can enter stone; spirit can make the body fly. Entering water, one does not drown; entering fire, one is not burned. Spirit is born relying on the body; essence becomes full relying on qi. Neither withering nor decaying, like pine and cypress ever green. The three grades share one principle, wondrous beyond hearing. When gathered, they exist; when scattered, they dwindle to nothing. The seven orifices connect with one another; orifice after orifice shines bright. The sacred sun and sacred moon shine upon the Golden Court. Once attained, attained forever; the body naturally becomes light. Supreme harmony fills and overflows; the bones disperse into cold jade. Attaining the elixir, one becomes numinous; failing to attain it, one falls. The elixir is within the body, neither white nor blue. Recite and uphold it ten thousand times, and the wondrous principle becomes clear of itself.

With utmost sincerity we invoke: the Exalted Jade Emperor, Great Emperor, Most Honored Beyond Compare of the Golden Gate and the Mysterious Vault of the Vast Heaven, Wondrous Being of Miluo, Most True and Most Holy.

Commentary on the Wondrous Scripture of the Mind Seal of the Exalted Jade Emperor

The Superior Medicine Has Three Grades: Spirit, Qi, and Essence

[Explanation] The superior medicine means the best medicine; three grades means three kinds. These are the three medicines used in inner alchemy (neidan), namely spirit, qi, and essence, also called the Three Treasures. There are the Three Treasures of prior heaven and the Three Treasures of later heaven: the Three Treasures of prior heaven are the true and single spirit of prior heaven, the true and single qi of prior heaven, and the true and single essence of prior heaven; the Three Treasures of later heaven are the spirit of thought, the qi of breathing, and the essence of sexual intercourse. The Three Treasures of prior heaven can form the elixir; those of later heaven cannot. For one who refines the elixir, the wonder lies in using the means of dual cultivation of nature and life to turn the Three Treasures of later heaven back into those of prior heaven, and then to bind the Three Treasures of prior heaven together into the elixir; then the Great Tao is perfectly accomplished.

Indistinct and Elusive, Dark and Obscure

[Explanation] Chapter 21 of the Laozi (the Tao Te Ching) says: “As a thing, the Tao is elusive and indistinct. Indistinct and elusive, yet within it there is an image. Elusive and indistinct, yet within it there is a thing. Dark and obscure, yet within it there is an essence. Its essence is very real; within it there is a sign.” This describes the scene here. “Indistinct and elusive” means that when qi arises, the spirit abides in the indistinct and elusive, and only then can one gather the true and single qi; “dark and obscure” means that when essence arises, the spirit enters the dark and obscure, and only then can one gather the true and single essence. Both lines refer to the scenes that appear in practice when the Three Treasures of prior heaven arise.

Preserve Nothingness and Guard Being, and in an Instant It Is Accomplished

[Explanation] Nothingness is nature, is spirit. Being is life, is qi, is essence (the essence of prior heaven is qi). To preserve nothingness is to preserve and nourish the primordial spirit and return it to emptiness and nothingness. To guard being is to protect the primal qi, storing it carefully so that it is not lost. When spirit, qi, and essence are gathered in one place, harmonized and congealed, the work of forming the elixir takes only a moment. This is called “forming the elixir,” and the place where the elixir forms is the lower elixir field (dantian).

Turn the Wind Back and Merge Them, and in a Hundred Days the Work Becomes Numinous

[Explanation] Wind means breathing. Turning the wind back means turning the breath inward. The work of binding the Three Treasures of prior heaven into the elixir also requires using the breath to regulate the fire timing and merge them in one place; only then can the great elixir be refined and nourished. Accomplishing the great elixir takes about a hundred days. This is what alchemists call “laying the foundation in a hundred days”; when cultivation reaches this point, the work on life is essentially complete. Then comes “nourishing the elixir,” and the place for nourishing the elixir is the middle dantian.

Silently Pay Court to the Supreme Emperor, and in One Ji You Ascend in Flight

[Explanation] The Supreme Emperor refers to the upper dantian. After the work of forming and nourishing the elixir, one must move the elixir to the upper dantian in preparation for the exit of the spirit. After the spirit exits, there is a body beyond the body; one transcends birth and death, ascends in flight to the heavenly realm, and merges with the Great Tao. Cultivation to this point takes about one ji (12 years) of work.

Those Who Know Awaken Easily; the Benighted Find It Hard to Practice

[Explanation] Those who know means the wise, people with wisdom. The benighted means ignorant people. The wise awaken easily, while the ignorant find it hard to practice. A Taoist saying goes: “The Tao is not transmitted to the unfit.” The unfit are not only bad people; ignorant people also count as unfit and will find it hard to attain the Tao. Therefore, in the matter of cultivating the Tao, particular care is taken in choosing people.

Tread upon Heavenly Light; with Breathing, Nurture Clarity

[Explanation] When practice is deep, one becomes one body with the qi of heaven and earth. Then the whole body is wrapped in heavenly light, and raising one's foot is like treading on clouds. Breathing nurtures it, and the qi becomes ever clearer and purer. The turbid yin qi departs day by day, and the clear yang qi grows day by day.

Going Out Through the Mysterious and Entering the Female, as if Absent, as if Present

[Explanation] The Mysterious Female refers to the dantian. The true qi of breathing goes out and comes in at the dantian. At this time, because the true qi in the body has become utterly clear and pure, one feels the movement of qi as if there and not there, as if absent, as if present.

Continuous and Unbroken, Firm the Stem and Deepen the Root

[Explanation] The true qi flows continuously without break and all returns into the dantian. The dantian is our root and stem; when true qi enters it, the root and stem become firm, and the way of long life is attained.

Each Person Has Essence; the Essence Unites with Its Spirit

[Explanation] Everyone has primal essence in the body, and the primal essence should be matched with the primordial spirit.

The Spirit Unites with Its Qi; the Qi Unites with the True Body

[Explanation] The primordial spirit should further be matched with the primal qi. When primordial spirit, primal qi, and primal essence are combined in one place, our body can be transformed and become the body of a Perfected.

Without Attaining the True, All Are but Forced Names

[Explanation] The true means the primordial spirit, primal qi, and primal essence of prior heaven. If one does not achieve the real effect of combining primordial spirit, primal qi, and primal essence, everything is far-fetched empty talk.

Spirit Can Enter Stone; Spirit Can Make the Body Fly

[Explanation] Through its transformations the primordial spirit can enter into stone and can make the body fly beyond the heavens. As the saying goes, “Scattered, it becomes qi; gathered, it becomes form.” Its divine powers and transformations are too many to list.

Entering Water, One Does Not Drown; Entering Fire, One Is Not Burned

[Explanation] When cultivation succeeds, one becomes a Perfected. Then one enters water without drowning and fire without being burned. Transcending birth and death, one need fear no disaster of water or fire.

Spirit Is Born Relying on the Body; Essence Becomes Full Relying on Qi

[Explanation] Spirit exists relying on the physical body: the body needs spirit to stand, and when the body goes, the spirit departs. Essence becomes full relying on inner qi: essence is born from qi, and when qi is exhausted, essence dries up. In the final analysis, all three depend on the body to exist. That is why Chinese Taoism stresses dual cultivation of nature and life and takes the longevity of the body as the foundation. Without a firm and indestructible body, spirit, qi, and essence lose their support, and there is no basis for any cultivation.

Neither Withering Nor Decaying, Like Pine and Cypress Ever Green

[Explanation] If one can keep the body firm and indestructible, the Three Treasures of spirit, qi, and essence are always full—just like the green pine and cypress, which fear no severe cold, never wither or decay, and whose vitality endures forever.

The Three Grades Share One Principle, Wondrous Beyond Hearing

[Explanation] The three grades are the Three Treasures of spirit, qi, and essence; one principle means one source. The Three Treasures used in refining the elixir are the true and single spirit, qi, and essence of prior heaven. Since they all belong to the true and single of prior heaven, they share the same source; hence “the three grades share one principle.” In fact they arise from the generation and transformation of the Great Tao of prior heaven; their subtleties are wondrous beyond words. Only real practice can know them; speculation cannot.

When Gathered, They Exist; When Scattered, They Dwindle to Nothing

[Explanation] Since spirit, qi, and essence come from the same source, the three cannot be separated. Gathered, they exist together; scattered, they all perish. Therefore one cultivating perfection should keep spirit, qi, and essence always congealed and gathered: spirit must not leave qi, qi must not leave essence, and essence must not leave spirit. When the Three Treasures do not separate, the foundation of the elixir is firm and the Great Tao can be achieved.

The Seven Orifices Connect with One Another; Orifice After Orifice Shines Bright

[Explanation] The seven orifices are the seven openings of the ears, eyes, mouth, and nose; originally each has its own function and none can replace another. When the Three Treasures of spirit, qi, and essence gather in one place and form the great elixir, there is no longer any obstruction anywhere in the body. When the orifice of the Mysterious Pass opens, every orifice connects with every other, and naturally the seven orifices connect, all shining bright, illuminating within and without.

The Sacred Sun and Sacred Moon Shine upon the Golden Court

[Explanation] The sacred sun and sacred moon are the sun and moon within the body, the quintessence of the two qi of yin and yang in the human body. The Golden Court means the Yellow Court, that is, the dantian. When cultivation enters the wondrous realm, the creative transformations of the body are the same as those of heaven and earth, and the radiance of sun and moon naturally appears within the body, shining throughout the dantian. The alchemical classics say: “The human body is a small heaven and earth.”

Once Attained, Attained Forever; the Body Naturally Becomes Light

[Explanation] After the elixir is attained, all kinds of divine powers appear; as the saying goes, “Attain the One, and all affairs are complete.” Compared with the small changes that occur at the beginning of cultivating the Tao, the difference is truly that between heaven and earth. At this point the turbid, heavy body is exchanged for a light, clear one. As what is so of itself, one feels the body as light as a feather and steps as if flying.

Supreme Harmony Fills and Overflows; the Bones Disperse into Cold Jade

[Explanation] Supreme harmony means the qi of supreme harmony. Cold jade refers to the immortal realm. Cultivation to this point has already brought the shedding of the womb and the exchange of bones. The qi of supreme harmony fills the whole body; the substance of all the bones is entirely transformed into qi; the qi of the whole body becomes one with the immortal realm.

Attaining the Elixir, One Becomes Numinous; Failing to Attain It, One Falls

[Explanation] After the elixir is attained, the numinous effects above appear of themselves. If one cannot attain the elixir, there is the danger of one's life collapsing. Therefore the practice of the elixir path can only be known through true cultivation and real realization. If one lacks actual practice and relies only on hearsay or takes the words at face value, talking recklessly about effects, one instead risks losing one's life.

The Elixir Is Within the Body, Neither White Nor Blue

[Explanation] The inner elixir is produced within the body and cannot be sought outside it. Moreover, it has no form or image, being neither white nor blue, so it cannot be sought by form or color either.

Recite and Uphold It Ten Thousand Times, and the Wondrous Principle Becomes Clear of Itself

[Explanation] “Recite” means to chant. “Uphold” means to practice. “Ten thousand times” means very many times. This tells people that in studying this scripture it is not enough to recite it, that is, to understand it only literally; one must also awaken to it again and again in actual cultivation in order to understand the true meaning of the text.

(Note: The Wondrous Scripture of the Mind Seal of the Exalted Jade Emperor is also called the Mind Seal Scripture (Xinyin Jing). It sets out the principles and methods of Chinese Taoist cultivation and is a representative work on the “cultivation of life” in Chinese Taoist alchemy. Together with the Classic of Clarity and Stillness of Lord Lao the Most High it forms a perfect pair, and it is an important scripture of dual cultivation of nature and life in Chinese Taoist cultivation.)